The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has investigators at the scene of a plane crash that killed OSU women's basketball coach Kurt Budke, assistant coach Miranda Serna and OSU alumni and boosters Olin and Paula Branstetter.

An OSU spokesperson says it appears Olin Branstetter was piloting the plane when it crashed Thursday around 4 p.m. in Perry County, Arkansas, about 30 miles northwest of Little Rock. A hunter spotted the single-engine, four-seat Piper PA-28 Cherokee as it went down and called 911.

It's not known yet what caused the plane to crash.

The plane involved in Thursday's deadly Oklahoma State University crash was a private plane, owned by OSU donors Olin and Paula Branstetter.

We looked into the history of the plane and the university's policy regarding the use of private planes.

A family friend of the Branstetters who did not want their identity released raised concerns to The News On 6 about the University allowing the Branstetters to fly the coaching staff.

This person said Paula was a good pilot but, sadly, they would not say the same for Olin.

Family members tell us they believe 82-year-old Olin was the pilot on this trip.

The story seems to indicate that the 82 year old pilot’s wife was also a pilot. If she was sitting in the right seat, she certainly could have handled the plane if the pilot suffered some sort of medical problem. I’m gong to guess it was either mechanical or weather related.

The wx was nice, so scratch that. I’d presume that the wife was in the back seat. The back seat of those planes is very small. Not suitable for big guys... Which is the strange part of the story. The early Cherokees are very basic/entry level planes. Cheap and Slow. Usually used for primary training or owned by folks that can barely afford to own a plane in the first place. Odd choice of plane for sending a head basketball coach out on a recruiting trip. My wife, for example, would pretty much refuse to do any kind of cross country in one.

11
posted on 11/19/2011 6:10:34 AM PST
by PilotDave
(No, really, you just can't make this stuff up!!!)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.